end of the 2009 season. Gold Coast Suns assistant coach (2011–2012) At the end of the 2009 season, Hinkley was announced as an assistant coach at the new Gold Coast Football Club under senior coach Guy McKenna. Hinkley served as assistant coach for the Suns in their inaugural season in the 2011 season and the 2012 season. during this period, Hinkley also interviewed for the Richmond, Geelong and St Kilda senior coach positions but was unsuccessful. Port Adelaide Football Club senior coach (2013–present) On 8 October 2012, Hinkley was announced as the senior coach of Port Adelaide making him the first coach that has not been associated with the club before since Fos Williams. Hinkley replaced Port Adelaide caretaker senior coach Garry Hocking, who replaced Matthew Primus, after Primus was sacked during the 2012 season. In his debut season, Hinkley led Port to 13 wins, which included an elimination final win at the MCG against Collingwood before being eliminated by Geelong in a close game a week later. This came to a surprise to many as Port Adelaide had only won eight games in the previous two seasons combined. For his impressive season, Hinkley was voted as the Coach of the Year by the AFL Coaches Association. A year later, despite predictions by many that Port Adelaide would miss the finals, Hinkley led the club to a preliminary final finish; having finished the minor rounds in fifth place on the ladder, the Power defeated and in their first two finals before losing to eventual premiers . The Power disappointingly missed finals in 2015 and 2016 before returning in 2017, only to be eliminated in the first week in an intense Elimination Final against the West Coast Eagles which went all the way down to a kick after the siren in extra-time. Hinkley's contract with Port Adelaide was extended in late 2017. After guiding Port Adelaide to minor premiership and a Preliminary Final appearance during the 2020 AFL season, Hinkley signed a contract extension until the end of 2023. 2021 saw another Preliminary Final appearance for the Power, while in 2022 the team slipped out of the top eight, placing pressure on Hinkley for his final contracted season in 2023. Personal life Hinkley is a cousin of Geelong player Gary Rohan. Statistics Playing statistics |- |- style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1987 |style="text-align:center;"| | 48 || 10 || 20 ||